


Veracity and Veritas

by frogfarm



Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Annual Femslash Kinkmeme, Aphrodisiacs, Clothed Sex, Community: femslash_kink, F/F, Truth Spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 07:01:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24346924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frogfarm/pseuds/frogfarm
Summary: The night before the peace talks, Eve disappears. Varia's fit to be tied. Be careful what you ask for.Like all my Eve/Varia: Timeline indeterminate; relationship hostile, but no longer homicidal.Varia POV.
Relationships: Eve | Livia/Varia
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14
Collections: The Annual Femslash Kink Meme 2019, The Annual Femslash Kinkmeme





	Veracity and Veritas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heartfullofelves](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartfullofelves/gifts).



> For the Annual Femslash Kink Meme, 2019. Eve/Varia:
> 
> \- accidentally taking an aphrodisiac  
> \- clothed or partially clothed sex  
> \- forced to tell only the truth

"Blast that woman!"

Varia strode across the field, resisting the urge to swipe at passing stalks of grass. Petty gestures of course were beneath any Amazon, let alone one of her stature. And of course all Amazons were equal, in theory. Although to look upon the current generation, that sort of claim rang hollow indeed. Less a nation than a broken and scattered people, reduced to a shadow of their former glory.

"Where in Tartarus is she?" Varia took a deep breath to avoid grinding her teeth. From their expressions, the guards appeared equally ignorant.

"She knows how important today is." Varia felt the beginnings of a headache. "It's her life on the line too."

The larger of the guards head shook her head and shrugged.

"And why would she just disappear?" Varia held her sword hand at the ready, fingers loose at her side. They were approaching the edge of the field, where the foothills began. "In the middle of the damn night?"

"We found her!" Another pair of guards were waving from the bottom of the hill, gesturing upward. Varia growled at the sight of a cave mouth far above, tucked away between the rocks.

"I'm sorry, my queen." The guard on the left dropped to one knee and bowed her head. "We tracked her this far, but she's well stuck in."

"I'll drag her out myself." Varia felt as though her eyes emitted flashing sparks. The impudence. The sheer _gall_. The incredibly poor timing --

"We tried, mum." The other guard shook her head, indicating the haphazard state of their clothes, the light bruising on their faces. "Threw us both out."

Varia snorted. She had to admit to being impressed at the lack of damage. The Butcher of Rome had fought back, despite her vaunted pacifism -- but in a relatively peaceful way.

"You --" She indicated her personal guard. "Set a post at twenty paces. The rest, back to camp. Tell the ambassador there will be a..." She resisted the urge to growl. "A slight delay."

"But --" The smaller Amazon swallowed and bowed. "At once, my queen."

The big one shook her head at Varia. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Never," Varia muttered. Before she could stop herself she took a deep breath and unbuckled her sword. The guard was too stunned to do anything but mutely receive both sheath and blade, watching her commander turn and stride away.

The birds had fallen silent, leaving the canyon still as a grave. Varia made the ascent uphill with easy grace, feet finding ready purchase among the rocky terrain. Regardless of her mood, it certainly was a gorgeous day; the sun was high, the sky vast and blue without a single cloud.

She was a stone's throw from the cave entrance when a shout came from within.

"Go away!"

"Gladly," Varia countered, her pace never slacking. "And you're coming too."

"You don't know what you're asking!" Eve's desperate cry actually caused Varia to come to a halt. "I can't do it, I can't --"

"Stop being such a baby!" Varia snapped. Still, there was something unsettling and frantic in that voice, a seeming genuine fear.

She bit back a groan, suppressing the urge to bury her face in her hands.

"Look." She waited until she could avoid sounding overly judgmental. "Whatever it is, it can't possibly be as bad as you think. And you ought to know running away is only going to make it --"

"I thought it was a sleeping draught!"

Varia's brow furrowed as she resumed her journey. "Come again?"

A muffled yelp echoed from the cave. Varia growled and hauled herself the rest of the way, kneeling at the entrance to the darkened tunnel and peering inside.

"Is your hand over your mouth?"

"Yeff." Eve's reply was barely audible.

"I thought so." Varia shook her head as she made her way in. The light from outside was minimal, but sufficient as her eyes began to adjust. Eve lay huddled against the far wall of the cave, her normally immaculate white robes torn and stained, her forearms covered in a multitude of scratches. 

"What in Tartarus happened to you?" Varia tried to quash her growing and distinct concern. If someone had violated the truce, the resulting fallout would be far worse than a simple threat to the fragile peace. She couldn't imagine anyone of any sex actually trying to rape this woman. But the tension and recoiling in Eve's body, the condition of her simple clothing, made Varia think of little else.

"You shouldn't be here..."

Varia felt her ears prick up even as a queer thrill of alarm ran through her. That hoarse and weakened plea was unlike any of her previous experiences with the woman the world once knew as Livia. It was the voice of someone who knew their fate was sealed, nonetheless begging to be spared.

"You're the one who shouldn't be here." Varia wrestled down the anger in her voice before continuing. "You should be back there, before the rest of those fools arrive. Negotiating a bloody treaty. Not hiding like a little --"

"And I'm telling you I can't do it!" The near-hysterical shout was followed by rapid and intense breathing as Eve clutched in desperation at the wall, trying to burrow further into its stone surface. "Just -- just go away! Please!"

"Oh!" Varia couldn't help a distinct mocking tone. "Oh, well. Since you asked so nicely --"

"I said I thought it was a sleeping draught!" Having blurted out this panicked confession, Eve fell silent once more.

Varia blinked. Then a few more times, and frowned.

"Okay." Varia tried to sound gentle. "Can you tell me what you're talking about?" 

"Yes --" A small choking sound emerged, as though Eve were clenching her jaw shut.

Varia was now within arm's reach. Rather than approach closer still, she sank to the ground in a comfortable squat, both arms wrapped around her knees as she carefully observed her quarry. The agitation rolled off of Eve in almost physical waves, sending ripples of tension through the Amazon's own body.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me why." With all her might, Varia strove not to make it sound like an accusation. "After everything we've done. When we're so close to peace. Why would you throw it all away?"

"I'm _saving_ the peace!" These words spat out, Eve once more ground to a halt. A deep and shuddering breath made the muscles in her shoulders bunch and stand out under the scant cover of her robe.

"Like it or not --" Averting her gaze was apparently necessary for Varia to get her thoughts back in focus. "Those treaties aren't going to stick without you there, in the flesh. The other tribes, those Roman bastards -- you're the only thing holding it together."

Eve's labored breath was the only reply forthcoming. Varia scratched at the back of her neck and stared at the ground.

"Please." Even as the word hung in the air between them, Varia couldn't believe she'd said it. Her only certainty lay in forcing herself to continue onward, wherever the path might lead. "Help me understand."

Eve's whisper was practically inaudible. Varia frowned and leaned forward.

"Come again?" Varia used her most encouraging voice. "What do you smell?"

"I said I'm under a _spell_ \--" Again Eve exerted a mighty effort, apparently to keep herself from further speech.

"Wonderful." Varia sighed heavily. "Okay. So someone slipped you a potion. Assuming you're telling the truth --"

"That's just _it_ \--" Eve doubled over with a squeak, grabbing her jaw with both hands.

"What's wrong?" Varia demanded.

"I bid my dung." Eve's response was muffled behind tightly clamped fingers.

Varia shook her head with growing impatience.

"Do you want to do this the hard way?" Varia thought she was doing an excellent job of sounding reasonable. "Do you _want_ me to tie you up and --"

"Oh godf yeff _UNH_ \--"

Eve's eyes had grown as wide as a Sibyl's temple gong as she stared back at the Amazon, hands still clamped over her mouth.

"What in --" Varia stopped, and stared. The muscle of her mind was straining in a new and unfamiliar way. She felt like a child, leaning over and staring into the depths of a murky pond, unable to discern more than a hint of motion far beneath.

Cautiously, she let fall the smallest of pebbles. "You want to bed me."

"From --" Eve hyperventilated briefly before wiping away a sniffle, her voice an angry whisper. "From the moment I laid eyes on you."

"Oh." Varia did her best to ignore the creeping flush beginning to work its way upward. Eve had gone back to facing the wall, sparing her at least that small indignity.

"I --" Varia thought a moment, and had to laugh. "I wish you'd said something."

Eve remained silent as she rocked gently back and forth.

"And what exactly is this spell?" Varia took a gamble. "You cannot tell a lie?"

"That's part of it --" Again Eve's breath quickened, until Varia worried the other woman might pass out. Eve leaned against the wall, fingers trembling as they ran over the rough stone walls.

"All right." And Varia did sound gentle, even to herself. "I give you my word. I will not abuse this."

Eve gave a violent shake of her head.

"But I need to know how this happened," Varia continued, with dogged determination. "If someone did this to you --"

"You'll have to punish them." Eve's back was still turned to Varia. "Just don't let the Romans know."

"What -- oh." Varia nodded. "The peace talks."

"They thought..." Eve swallowed, her fingers forming into a fist. "They thought I was playing a part. That my -- new life...has been nothing but a lie."

"Ah." Varia could see it now. "And so they figured if you were forced to tell the truth, and nothing but -- the whole 'Eve act' would crumble like a castle made of sand."

Eve remained silent. Varia stood, lost in contemplation, until she remembered.

"What's the rest of it?"

"Pardon?" But Eve's hollow query rang just a shade off.

"You said that was part of it." Varia marshaled her thoughts. "Apart from the truth. What is it?"

"AphroditUNH--"

"Damn it!" Varia threw her head back and growled before returning her attention to the trembling young woman cowering before her.

"Not you," she continued, with less vehemence. "All right. What happened?"

Eve swallowed again.

"When I realized --" Another pause, as Eve seemingly gathered all her courage. "I cursed the gods. And Aphrodite appeared, and said --"

Varia realized she was holding her breath.

"Sh-she said --" Eve's breath came in hitches and starts, her entire body atremble. "May your lust...be equal to your love...until satisfied."

For a long moment, Varia sat unmoving. Eve was likewise motionless, apart from the occasional shiver.

"Well." Varia sounded strange, even to her own ears. "I wish you'd said something."

"I just did."

Eve's sour reply sounded for all the world like any sulky young person whose parents simply refused to understand. Varia shook her head and smiled.

"You say yours is a religion of forgiveness."

Eve's quivering reached a violent crescendo as Varia moved forward. One hand briefly rested upon her shoulder before the Amazon slid her arms around the other woman, burying her lips in the soft and inviting crook of her neck.

"You should start with yourself."

"I --" Eve's whole being thrummed with fear and desire. "We're already late."

"They can wait." And Varia smiled as her fingers delved through tattered scraps of fabric, seeking the treasure that lay within. "I'm on Imperial business."

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired less by Jane Austen, and more Austen by proxy way of Blackadder.


End file.
